CATEGORIES

No More Vietnam Syndrome

U.S. FOREIGN POLICY for decades proceeded in the shadow of the failure in Vietnam. Some 58,000 Americans were killed in that war.

Better, Faster, Cheaper

THE LIVING STANDARDS of Americans have vastly improved during the past 50 years, with the quality of available consumer products steadily rising even as their prices have steeply fallen.

When The Nanny State Actually Tries To Nanny

ANYTIME YOU HEAR the words “for the safety of our precious children,” grab your little ones and run. Someone who thinks he cares more about your kids than you do is about to make you grovel. If he’s from the government, run faster.

The Backpage Scandal Isn't What You Think

How indie media entrepreneurs James Larkin and Michael Lacey became the targets of a federal witchhunt

After Living Abroad, Kids Struggle With American Overparenting

WHEN JEAN PHILLIPSON’S family returned to Fairfax, Virginia, after living in Bolivia, the main thing her 10-year-old son complained about was the bus ride home from school. “He wasn’t allowed to have a pencil out,” says the mom of three, “because it was considered unsafe.”

Budget Hawks Fly The Coop

Goodbye to Paul Ryan, Jeff Flake, and Mark Sanford.

Hey, California: Stop Encouraging Building In Fire Zones!

The so-called camp fire in Butte County, California, has led to the deaths of 85 people and destroyed 13,972 homes, making it the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history. Sadly, California law makes it likely that another fire will soon claim that dubious distinction.

The Case Of The Notorious RBG

Examining the life and legend of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

If We Can't Cut Entitlements, What Can We Do?

Thanks to the overspending of Congress and successive presidential administrations, America’s debt totals $22 trillion, and it is projected to grow faster and larger in the years to come.

How Not To Build A Jail

The D.C. jail has been a disaster for more than 100 years. Can a new jail avoid the mistakes of the past? 

Up Close And Personal With Philadelphia's Heroin Crisis

Journalist Christopher Moraff talks about a better way to report on drug culture in America.

The U.S Needs More Immigrants

Without young workers, the economy can’t grow. 

The Shocking Waste Hidden Inside The $126 Billion Afghan Reconstruction

“Congress has appropriated $126 billion for Afghanistan reconstruction since Fiscal Year 2002,” wrote Special Inspector General John F. Sopko in testimony delivered in May to the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management.

The Life And Death Of A Hollywood Blacklist

Sometimes Censorship Is A Public-private Partnership. 

Bad Ideas Are Spreading Like The Plague

The defeat of measles in the United States was one of the great good news stories of the turn of the millennium.

Psychonaut Hamilton Morris On Drugs After Prohibition

What will American drug culture look like once prohibition is finally over and we can start to legally use more substances in more settings?

Helicopter Parenting For Pet Owners

Lifestyle

Quit Worrying And Learn To Love Trade With China

Fretting over deficits and intellectual property will do no good and much harm.

Choosing Smart Embryos Isn't Immoral

Let's say you're a fertility doctor advising would-be parents who have exactly two viable embryos ready for implantation. The parents want to implant only one embryo. This is not an uncommon scenario; more than 71,000 babies were born in the U.S. via assisted reproduction in 2016.

Gerry Mandering Is Out Of Control

Computers could be the key to resolving partisan fights over congressional boundaries.

How Vietnam Gave Us C-SPAN

Brian Lamb, the network’s founder, is retiring after 40 years of putting cameras on Congress, hosting in-depth interviews, and creating an enduring home for diverse civil discourse.

Law Brett Kavanaugh Flunks His First Test As An Originalist

In his 2018 confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was asked by Sen.

Everything You Know About State Education Rankings Is Wrong

You probably thinkyou know which states have the best and worst education systems in the country.

Dissent And Disarray In Putin's Russia

The authoritarian President’s hold on power may be shakier than it looks.

Has America's Obsession With Manufacturing Jobs Gone Too Far?

A wisconsin town is spending billions, seizing homes, and breaking state law to lure a Taiwanese company.

Can Laundry And Lettuce Save Cleaveland?

A worker-owned co-op that even a capitalist could love is washing linens for the cleveland clinic and growing vegetables for the city.

Freeborn Frank Turner

The British musician brings a libertarian sensibility to his new folk-punk album.

Do Partisans Hate Each Other More Than Ever?

Scholars try to explain today’s political warfare.

Congress Needs An Opioid Intervention

In an effortto combat the opioid crisis in America, Congress is calling for a slate of governmental interventions that have been tried, tested, and shown to cause more harm.

Uber, But For Poop

EVERYBODY POOPS, BUT not everybody has to deal with a cartel when trying to dispose of it.